#AtomicBlonde (2017)

Sunday, July 30, 2017

I fancy myself an armchair movie critic, so I will be reviewing films of all shapes, sizes, and genres with my sui generis perspective.

Today is my first Silver Screen Sunday review. I’m going to try and keep going to more screenings. I got comps for Atomic Blonde, which I was able to see at AMC Town Square through Red Carpet Refs. Free screenings are such crapshoots, but they’re a risk I’m willing to take to see free movies. I could never get comps when I lived in the Bay Area, but I seriously get opportunities every week here. I love Vegas.

Anyways, I stand by the kneejerk capsule review I originally posted on Instagram: Atomic Blonde was a thrill ride.

The movie takes place in the midst of the fall of the Berlin Wall, but the filmmakers embraced the The Coldest City graphic novel source material full force. They played it close to its comic book roots rather than relying on true reality. I was six when it came down, but I legit remember when and where I was when the Wall fell. But the way Charlize filled every frame, the way James McAvoy chewed scenery, the way it was lit… it had the aroma of a comic book panel. Every frame a painting. I really liked that.

The sets they used for late 80s Berlin felt so fake, but they made that world work in a good way. So, props to the filmmakers for embracing that. A lot of movies based on graphic novels (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World nailed that comic book-y world too) take the cinematic elements of the source material and try to put it in the real world. The filmmakers didn’t do that with this movie, and it worked really well. I was impressed. You never once forgot that you were watching a real life comic book.

The fight training was heavily grounded in reality though, because Charlize said during the press tour that she never full-on punches anybody. She uses objects to take the brunt of her power. If she were to full force sock it to somebody, she risked shattering her whole hand. It was comical some of the objects she used. You’ll never use your car keys the same way again.

As far as the writing goes, I enjoyed the subversion of the spy trope. It’s always spy vs. spy when it comes to stories in that world, but it’s spy vs. spy vs. spy vs. spy. But it’s not in a straight line, someone is playing someone else, who’s playing the first person, but then there’s this dude disguised as another dude. I loved it.

The director of John Wick: Chapter I bowed out of Chapter 2 to develop this picture. Keanu ended up training for Chapter 2 alongside Charlize, since they were filming concurrently, and they go way back. There were rumors that they were going to try for a crossover with John Wick, and I thought that was a great idea, because I love Keanu and Charlize’s chemistry. But after seeing Atomic Blonde, it doesn’t make logistical sense. They don’t even take place in the same time, unless they introduce some time travel plot device, and I will scream bloody murder if they try. They both work in their own respective, stand alone worlds. What is up with pop culture where everything has to crossover nowadays? This is coming from a Marvel fan who really wants the film series to acknowledge the TV series in some way.

Now to my complaints, which I illuminated in my Instagram post. I’m probably the only person this affected, but music is a huge part of the movie-going experience. It should enhance the movie, not take people out of it. You hear the Funeral March of a Marionette, and you immediately think of Alfred Hitchcock. That’s just how it is.

I wish they would’ve called me to help with the soundtrack because they did what Watchmen did. They relied on songs reminiscent of the time rather than actual charted songs from the year the movie takes place (November 1989). 1981’s Under Pressure by David Bowie, 1981’s Der Kommissar (though I think this was a cover because it wasn’t Falco singing, and not the ATF version either), 1983’s Blue Monday by New Order, 1983’s 99 Luftballons by Nena, and 1985’s Voices Carry were the ones I recognized that I can recall. I’m fairly sure I heard a Clash song but I could be projecting. 1988’s Father Figure by George Michael gets a pass, only because it’s marginally close to the date. But, I went back to check Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1989, and aesthetically, none of these songs would have worked for the movie. So, they might get a pass for the marginally accurate soundtrack. MIGHT.

So, my question for you is: do you plan to see Atomic Blonde? Why or why not? Let me know in the comments!